Mere months before he landed a job as the new host of “Australian Survivor,” former castaway David Genat – also known as the “Golden God” – made reality TV history when he walked away from NBC’s “Deal or No Deal Island” with the largest cash prize ever awarded on network television: a whopping $5.8 million!
Since winning the groundbreaking prize in March 2025, the “Australian Survivor: All-Stars” champion, who recently competed on “Survivor: Australia vs. the World” alongside US castaways like Cirie Fields, Tony Vlachos and Parvati Shallow, has kept quiet about how he’s planning on spending the money – Until now.
In a new interview with Stellar ahead of his debut as the new host of “Australian Survivor,” a post he took over after the former host Jonathan LaPaglia was dramatically removed from the role late last year, Genat revealed that he’s already spent a portion of his prize money.
The ‘Golden God’ Bought a Gold Rolex & Luxury Car with ‘DONDI’ Winnings
David told the publication that he’d tapped into the $5.8 million check a few times over the last year, splurging on luxury items like custom jewelry, a gold Rolex watch and even a Mercedes-Benz 4WD G-Wagon.
While it’s impossible to know the exact cost of the items without further insight from Genat, the shopping spree likely only made a small dent in his prize pot, leaving plenty left over for the “Deal or No Deal Island” champion to provide stability for his growing family.
“It’s nice to have a safety net,” said the father of four. Genat shares one daughter, Rei, with his wife Pearl Christensen, as well as two sons, Winston and Hugo, from his first marriage. He’s also the stepfather to Christensen’s other daughter.
“As an actor or a performer or someone working in television, you never have job security; you’re always struggling and thinking: ‘OK, what’s my next thing?’ Winning all that money has allowed me to trust the process,” he added.
Genat Says Winning $5.8M Gave Him the Freedom to Chase His Dreams
NBCWhile the Golden God is no stranger to reality TV success, having first appeared in the Australian modelling competition series “Search for a Model” in 2002 before rising to prominence on the cast of three separate seasons of “Australian Survivor,” he’d originally aspired towards becoming a serious dramatic actor.
“My parents had grown up quite poor and my dad was a self-made man,” Genat explained. “Education was super important to them; they wanted me to study, do maths and homework and go to university – while all I wanted was to be silly and do drama.”
Despite never quite making it to the silver screen, Genat was able to flex his character-building muscles on “Survivor,” crafting his swaggering, often villainous “Golden God” persona.
While he affirmed that the boisterous personality couldn’t be further from the truth of who he is in his day to day life, he’s still faced plenty of criticism from “Survivor” fans, especially those who blame him for replacing the show’s former host, Jonathan LaPaglia.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t [hurt],” he said, speaking on the backlash he’d received after replacing the beloved host. “And I’m going through a lot of it right now.”
David Genat will make his hosting debut when “Australian Survivor: Redemption” premieres on Australia’s Network Ten on Monday, February 23 – just two days before the premiere of “Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans” in the US on Wednesday, February 25 at 8:00pm ET.
